Christine Ritchie has worked in education for over 40 years, first as a teacher and then in further education since 2000. She has been a Programme Director for Foundation Degrees and so has direct experience of working with mature students in their first encounters with higher education. Paul Thomas has worked with students in higher education as a study tutorĀ for a number of years. The experience gained working one-to-one has enabled Paul to identify the difficulties students face when encountering academic study for the first time.